DeepSeek R1 vs Gemini 2.5 Pro

Side-by-side benchmark comparison across coding, math, reasoning, speed, and pricing.

Gemini 2.5 Pro by Google wins on 19 of 24 benchmarks against DeepSeek R1 by DeepSeek, which leads on 4. This head-to-head comparison covers coding, math, reasoning, speed, and pricing metrics from our benchmark data.

Category-by-Category Breakdown

General Intelligence: In general intelligence, Gemini 2.5 Pro scores 1465 on Chatbot Arena ELO compared to DeepSeek R1's 1355, while both score 84.0% on MMLU-Pro, while Gemini 2.5 Pro scores 9.3 on MT-Bench compared to DeepSeek R1's 8.7, while Gemini 2.5 Pro scores 88.0% on IFEval compared to DeepSeek R1's 87.8%, while Gemini 2.5 Pro scores 84.8% on TruthfulQA compared to DeepSeek R1's 78.0%, while Gemini 2.5 Pro scores 16.7 on AA Intelligence Index compared to DeepSeek R1's 11.4.

Coding: In coding, Gemini 2.5 Pro scores 89.0% on HumanEval+ compared to DeepSeek R1's 86.0%, while Gemini 2.5 Pro scores 63.8% on SWE-bench Verified compared to DeepSeek R1's 49.2%, while Gemini 2.5 Pro scores 58.0% on LiveCodeBench compared to DeepSeek R1's 50.0%, while Gemini 2.5 Pro scores 33.3 on AA Coding Index compared to DeepSeek R1's 24.6.

Math: In math, DeepSeek R1 scores 97.3% on MATH compared to Gemini 2.5 Pro's 88.0%, while DeepSeek R1 scores 97.0% on GSM8K compared to Gemini 2.5 Pro's 95.5%.

Reasoning: In reasoning, Gemini 2.5 Pro scores 84.0% on GPQA Diamond compared to DeepSeek R1's 71.5%, while Gemini 2.5 Pro scores 48.0% on ARC-AGI compared to DeepSeek R1's 14.0%, while Gemini 2.5 Pro scores 94.5% on BBH compared to DeepSeek R1's 89.0%, while Gemini 2.5 Pro scores 92.0% on Winogrande compared to DeepSeek R1's 88.0%, while Gemini 2.5 Pro scores 3.5 on AA Agentic Index compared to DeepSeek R1's 1.1.

Context: In context, Gemini 2.5 Pro scores 1.0M on Context Length compared to DeepSeek R1's 64K, while Gemini 2.5 Pro scores 95.8% on RULER compared to DeepSeek R1's 82.0%.

Multimodal: In multimodal, Gemini 2.5 Pro scores 80.4% on MathVista compared to DeepSeek R1's 73.6%.

Pricing Comparison

DeepSeek R1 costs $0.70/1M input tokens and $2.5/1M output tokens, while Gemini 2.5 Pro costs $1.3/1M input and $10.0/1M output. DeepSeek R1 is the more affordable option for API usage.

Speed Comparison

DeepSeek R1 generates output at 35 tok/s compared to Gemini 2.5 Pro's 55 tok/s, and the time to first token is 950 ms for DeepSeek R1 versus 500 ms for Gemini 2.5 Pro. Gemini 2.5 Pro delivers faster throughput.

Verdict

For developers prioritizing math and affordability, DeepSeek R1 has the edge. For those who value coding and general intelligence and speed, Gemini 2.5 Pro is the stronger choice.

DeepSeek R1 vs Gemini 2.5 Pro — FAQ

Which is better, DeepSeek R1 or Gemini 2.5 Pro?

Gemini 2.5 Pro wins on more benchmarks overall (19 vs 4). However, the best choice depends on your specific needs — each model excels in different areas.

How does DeepSeek R1 compare to Gemini 2.5 Pro for coding?

Gemini 2.5 Pro is better for coding, scoring 63.8% on SWE-bench Verified compared to 49.2%. SWE-bench tests real-world software engineering by resolving actual GitHub issues.

Is DeepSeek R1 cheaper than Gemini 2.5 Pro?

Yes, DeepSeek R1 is cheaper. DeepSeek R1 costs $0.70/1M input and $2.5/1M output tokens. Gemini 2.5 Pro costs $1.3/1M input and $10.0/1M output tokens.

Which is faster, DeepSeek R1 or Gemini 2.5 Pro?

Gemini 2.5 Pro is faster, generating output at 55 tok/s compared to 35 tok/s. Faster output speed means shorter wait times for API responses.

What benchmarks does the DeepSeek R1 vs Gemini 2.5 Pro comparison cover?

This comparison covers 24 benchmarks including Chatbot Arena ELO, MMLU-Pro, HumanEval+, MT-Bench, IFEval, MATH, TruthfulQA, GPQA Diamond, and more. Metrics span general intelligence, coding, math, reasoning, speed, and cost categories.